To be, or not to be?

My intention here is neither to debate the paradox behind this famous monologue by Hamlet, nor to choose between life or its annihilation. I like to look at most situations in shades of gray, rather than black or white. I often come across people who cannot wait to jump to conclusions, much like a 'jack-in-a-box'. The latter has the capacity to make me burst into peels of laughter, but I cannot say that for sure about the former.
Etymologists did a good job at categorizing the judgmental chain of thoughts into groups such as feminists, chauvinists, sexists, racists, etc. etc.

Do people jump to conclusions? Do they avoid conflicting thought processes? Would these conflicting thoughts or conclusions exist if they had an empathy towards the situation or the individual?

Societal fabric is such that everyone wants to be able to judge an individual or gauge a situation. This sometimes gives us a false impression of sticking to our traditions, staying ahead or keeping abreast. Society also breeds myriad of ideas such as pro-creation, god, atheism, capitalism, socialism, communism and the list is endless. We love to keep pushing people in these slots hoping it would give us a 'better picture'. How close to reality are these 'pictures' depends on our ability to decide whether TO BE, OR NOT TO BE judgmental.

(image source:http://blog.7yearglitch.com/2008/08/26/we-have-ways-of-making-you-dance/)

A Delicious Wake-Up Call

Ever since I left India, waking up in the morning has been a tough call for me. No more mommy's soothing voice to wake me up with a bed-tea. No more warm hugs from my bro, and no more nagging from dad. Alarm clocks did little good, the snooze button was an excuse for an extra hour of sleep.
To make matters worse, graduate school barely imposed any pressure to wake-up early. Getting a job did help, as I had no choice but to wake up early, or face the consequences. When I was working with Schlumberger, I used to start my day at 5 am. Stantec helped me push that to 8 am. So, three alarms namely, one on my cell phone, the other a radio clock and third my television alarm seemed to do the trick, but honestly, I never looked forward to it. I mean who would like to wake up to a snaggle, a heavy metal radio channel and world news at 6 am? It was deliberate on my part to pick these for obvious reasons......but I was determined to find a better way...and I did...almost a year ago. It was the Food Network....or channel 25.

Be it Anna Olson's sweet savoury delights, Nigella's sensual express dinners, or Laura Clader's inviting french cuisine, waking up to any of these shows has made my morning wake-up call very delicious. I no longer hit the snooze button or bury my head under the pillow for fear that the world news might flash some gory details of a blast or a war. Instead I can't wait to sit up and watch tastefully decorated, mouthwatering apple tarts, blueberry pancakes, cappuccino and so much more................. Good Morning & Bon Apetité!

(image source:www.foodnetwork.com)

Words

As the human species evolved, communication evolved from simple emotions to languages. Any language is a collection of rich words, capable of expressing myriads of our true emotions when used correctly and sensibly. However, somewhere down the lane, as we humans fathomed great heights of technological advancement, language lost its hold on us...or did we lose a hold of it?
In our modern society words accentuating sarcasm, condescension, pomposity, revenge etc. have taken precedence over words capable of expressing an attitude of gratitude. One might argue that its not the words we choose, its out thinking process...but then again...can one think without using words?

(image source: www.designidea.info/category/region/australia)